Frozen food products, such as ice creams, are particularly appreciated for their creamy and smooth characteristics. The organoleptic characteristics of traditional frozen food products are sensitive to even small temperature variations which is typically observed during storage, distribution, or handling. This is particularly problematic when a consumer purchases a frozen food product and does not consume it quickly. When a longer period of time elapses from the frozen food products is taken from the deep frozen section in the retail store until it is placed in a domestic freezer, a partial thawing of the frozen product takes place before it is refrozen. Such cycles of temperature variation, which is known as “heat shock”, is known to reduce the overall organoleptic perception of the frozen food products.
In the prior art some emulsifiers have been applied in the preparation of frozen food products to reduce this problem:
In the US patent application US 2005/0,123,666 an ice cream containing a propylene glycol monoester, unsaturated monoglycerides, and sorbitan tri-stearates is disclosed.
The PCT application WO 2005/060,763 a low fat ice cream formulation comprising a propylene glycol monoester and a mono-diglyceride is disclosed.
However, there is still an unmet need for frozen food products having an improved quality and an improved robustness towards heat shock.